Knife-switch.



H. L. PHAT.

KNIFE SWITCH.

nrmcrrxon TILED JULY 3, 1911.

Patented N0v,28, 1911.

enable ii. 1' f 1 ia'.r ,i,of s'r.iours, ivussounifass olton To FRANK AnAMELEcTRI'o Tool! whomitmayaconem: s

Beqit known that; I, I'IARRY L. PHAT, a citizen of the United: Statesgmesiding at- St. Louis, Missouri have invented a certain new :and useful Improvementin Knife- Switches, ofwhich the following-is a ,full, clear and exact description, such as :will

appertains to' make and use the same.

- Thisiinventionaelates to knife switches. The national-codestandard rules which govemdtheconstruction and installation of electrical apparatus, provide that a knife switch .must be installed in such amanner thatithe'tendency of thehandle will be to dropdownwardly-and, thus carry the free end' ofthe'sblade away from the spring clip With which *it" cooperates whenever the switch is left open. Another provision of therules above-referred to is thata knife switch provided witha fuse must be so constructed thatathe fuse will be located between'the service wire and the blade of the switch =so astoprotect the switch. These requirements ."have, made. it. necessary for manufacturers and contractors to. keep supplied =.with-several different kinds of knife switches, namely, switches in which the fuse terminals are arranged above the pivoted endiof the blade andv switches in which the fuse terminals are located below the pivoted end of the blade, because in some instances theservice wires-lead from above and in other instances from below the point where the-switch is .to-be installed. .In addition totheobjectionablefeature of having to keep on handqdifferen't kinds of switches for i doing the same' kindof work, a great deal of trouble and delay is caused by mistakes in sending out the. wrong kind of switcln'forexample, a switch havinr fuse terminals arranged above the pivoted end of the bla-de'insteadof below the pivoted end ofthe blade, it'being. of course. understood that the mounting of the switch cannot be inverted because'this \vouldlocatethe pivot of the bladeat such a point that the tendi ency of the blade would be to move into others-skilled in the art to which it coatiamr or snip 0111 s," Missot'tm; a 'CIQRI'OR'AIION OF ms'souiu. I KNII E QS WIT CHL' 7 Specification of Letters Patent; Patented NOV. 28', 1911. application filed July 3,1911. Serial No. 636,665. I

a knife switch with fuse connections that will conform to the requirements of the national code standard rules and which is so. constructed that vitcan be used either with service wires that lead from above or from below the pointat which the switch is to bc installed.

. Figure 1 of the drawings is a front elevational View showing my improved-knife switch cooperating with service wires that leadfrom above the point where the switch is installed; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevational View showing my improved switch cooperating with service wires that/lead from below the point where the switch is installed; Figs. 4; and 5 are horizontal sectional views taken onth'e lines at-l and 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 1;.Figs. 6 and 7: are side elevational views illustrating slight modifications of my invention; and'Fig. S is a sectional view taken on the line S8 of'Fig. 7. Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the mounting of the switch which'may be slate, marble or any other suitable i'naterial. l designates the blades, 2 the handle to which the free ends-of the blades are connected, 3 the fuse connections which are adapted to receive fuses F, and 4 and 5 designate two sets of springclips with which the blades 1 cooperate. Each of the clips"; has two holes at and i and each of the clips 5 has two holes 5 and 5', said holes being shown in broken lines in Figs. 2 and 3 and also in full lines in Figs.

4and5.. 'WVlien the switch is used with service wires C that lead from above the point where the 'switch is installed, the lower ends of the blades are pivotally connected to the clips 5 bv means of removable fastening devices.

preferably bolts (3, which pass through the holes 5" in the clips 5, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. Removable fastening devices; preferably bolts 7, are arranged in the holes 4? in the clips 4 so as to form steps which limit. the inward movement of the blades 1 toward the mounting A of the switch. I prefer to arrange washers 8 on the boltsti and 7 which are of sufficient diameter. to

blades 1 toward the mountin cover the openings 4, 4", in theclips 4 and also the openings 5, 5", in the clips 5, as shown in Fig. 2. If it 'is desired to use the switch with service wires C. that lead from below the point where the switch is to be installed the mounting A is inverted, as shown in Fig. 3, and the blades 1 are disconnected from the clips 5 and thereafter pivotally connected to the clips 4 by the fastening d vices"? which are arranged in the openings 4* of said clips, the fastening devices 6 being inserted in the openin 5 of the clips 5 so as to form'stops which limit the inward movement of the free ends of the A of the switch. In both adjustments 0 the switch, the blades 1 are so arranged that the lower ends of same are pivotally connected to the clips on the mounting so that the tendency of said blades is to swing downwardly away from the clips with which the upper or free ends of the blades cooperate in case the switch is left open, and, furthermore, in both adjustments of the switch the fuses F are' located between the blades and the service wires. Consequently, a switch of the construction above-described complies with the requirements of the national code standard rules, and it can be used either with service wires that lead from above or from below the point where the switch is installed.

While I prefer to provide the clips 4 and 5 with two sets of holes for. receiving the fastening devices which pivotally connect the blades 1 to the clips and which form stops for saidblades, still I do not wi sh it to be understood that my invention is limited to such a structure for if desired single holes can be formed in the clips 4 and 5 for receiving the fastening devices 6 and 7, as shown in Fig. 6. The construction first-described and shown in Figs. 1 to fifinclusive is preferable, however, because it permits the stops which limit the inward movement of the blades to be located closer to the mounting A of the switch than the lower ends or pivoted ends of the blades.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated another slight modification of my invention wherein the clips 4 and 5 are provided with permanent stops 9, and separate and distinct removable fastening devices 10 are used for pivotally connecting the lower ends of the blades to the clips, it being, of course, understood that both sets of clips are provided with openings 11 for receiving the fastening devices 10 so as to enable the blades 1 to be pivotally connected to either set of clips in the manner previously described.

\Yhile l have herein illustrated my invention embodied in a three-pole switch it will, of course, be understood that a single or double-pole switclrcould be constructed in the same manner without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim. as new and desire to secure by Lat ters Patent is:

1. A knife switch consisting of a mounting provided with fuse connections and spring clips arranged in alin'ement with each other, a pivotally mounted blade cooperating with said clips and detachably connected to one of them, and means for permitting said blade to be detachably connected to the other'cli when the mountin is inverted.

2. A ife switch consisting of a vertically disposed mountin fuse connections on said mounting, spring ips on the mounting, a blade cooperating with said ring clips, a removable fastening device w ich pivotally connects one end of said blade to one of said clips, and a removable stop in 'the other clip which is adapted to act as a pivot for said blade when the mounting is inverted.

3. A' knife [switch oonsistin of a mounting, a set of blade clips on said mounting, a set of fuse connections on said mounting arranged,in longitudinal alinement with said clips, a removable pivotally mounted blade detachably connected to one.-of said clips, and means in the other clip which permits said bladeto be pivotally connected to same when the mounting is inverted.

4. A knife switch consisting of a mounting provided with fuse connections, blade clips on said mounting, each of said clips being provided with two holes or openings in the hole of the other clip which is nearest to the mounting that acts as a stop to limit the inward movement of the free end of the blade toward the mounting.

w 5. A knife switch consisting of a mounting provided with fuse connections, blade clips on said mounting, each of said clips being provided with two holes or openings located different distances from the mounting, a blade cooperating with said clips, a

removable fastening device arranged in the opening in one clip which is farthest from the mounting for pivotally connecting one end of the blade to said clip, a device in the hole of the other clip which isnearest to the mounting that-acts as a stop to limit the inward movement of the free end of the blade toward the mounting, and devices which cover the holes in said clips that are not in use.

6. A knife switch comprising a vertically disposed mounting provided with fuse connections, upper and lower s ring clips on said mounting, removable bla es coiiperating with said clips, removable fastening devices which pivotnlly connect one end of said signature in the presence of two witnesses, blades to the lower set of spring clips, and this twenty-eighth day of June 1911. removable fastening devices in the upper spring clips which act as stops to limit the. I HARRY L. FEAT. B inward movement of the upper free ends of W ilnesses:

the blades toward the mounting. WELLS L. CHURCH,

In testimony whereof I hereunto nffix my GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

